The Next in Line 2: Tyler's Ascension
by moviemaniac07
Summary: He saw a blinding light before he was consumed by utter blackness. It felt like what he would imagine getting hit by lightening felt. And then it got worse. Tyler's ascension, second part of Next in Line. T for lang


hello everyone! Well, this is a sequel to The Next in Line...It's Tyler's ascension, but since it can stand on its own, i put in a separate story

and for those of you who are waiting for me to update A Brother's Love...It's coming...i needed to get a few oneshots out of the way...more to come

here it is

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"So, this is it, huh?" Tyler asked the other boys, though he knew full well that it wasn't. There was a lot more in store within the next half hour.

Reid was lounging against the Hummer. "Not exactly Baby Boy. You've got a long night ahead of you."

Tyler sighed, running his hands through his hair. He knew he had a long night; he was hoping to forget it.

Caleb grasped his shoulder. "You still scared?"

Tyler tried to sound shocked. "What! Scared? Who told you I was scared?"

Pogue laughed. "No one told us you were scared Baby Boy. But we know. It's natural; we all were."

Tyler frowned before letting a sigh escape his lips. He moved away from Caleb and slumped down to the ground. He rested his arms on his knees, hanging his head in between. This sucked.

It sucked because he was afraid. He was so fucking afraid, more than he could ever admit, more than he even admitted to Reid a few weeks back.

He knew that he didn't have to be afraid of what was going to happen. For hundreds of years, the people of the Covenant had ascended. The ascension had never killed anyone, though it had admittedly nearly done so to Reid, and only a few times in history has anyone ever gone overboard, like Caleb's father.

So what was there to be afraid about?

Well, there was still the pain, for one. Tyler was what could be called an empath. He felt what others around him felt. They all had their own quirks, and that was his. And because he was, he had the chance to feel that pain _three times. _And he knew that it was only a taste, and not a full blow.

And then there were the consequences that came with the ascension. Sure, there was unlimited power, more than he could have ever dreamed of years ago. But there was the aging, there was the constant presence of Caleb's father in his memory. He was an example of what was going to happen if they used that power.

Not to mention, as weird as it seems, there was the fear that would most likely come. It's not the fear of aging, no, not at all. It was the fear that had seemed to take over all his friends, but Reid the most. It was the fear to use, a fear that would alter their lives forever, that would makes things different for all of them.

And above everything, he didn't want that. He didn't want things to change, ever. Because when things change, people change…relationships change. Tyler was afraid that when he ascended, the bond between the boys, his best friends, would no longer be as strong. And that would be what killed him before anything else.

He looked up at the boys, his friends. It was clear that they understood how he felt, that they had been through it, too. Caleb's next words confirmed it even more. "Tyler, things will be fine. Nothing's going to change, I promise you that."

"Yeah Baby Boy!" Reid chimed in. "Didn't I tell you that we'd be here to take care of you?" Tyler nodded. "Then we will be."

"You should listen to him, Sims. It's not often that he says something worthwhile…or smart." Pogue was trying to lighten the mood." It worked, they all laughed.

"Ha ha, very funny. At least I don't wear girl shorts in swim. Do you borrow them from Kate, or do you own your own pair?"

That really made Tyler laugh, and Caleb was nearly rolling on the ground in tears. Pogue jokingly slapped Reid on his head, and Reid retaliated, starting a fight between the two.

Believe it or not, Reid won, somehow getting Pogue's arm pinned behind his back. Still, Pogue refused to relent, so the fighting continued, until Caleb stopped them.

"Guys, ten minutes." He looked over at Tyler, who felt his heartbeat nearly double…ten minutes until the minute he turned eighteen.

He moved to get up, but Caleb pushed him back down. "You might want to stay there…"

Tyler shook his head. "No, it's okay." He stood up, holding his head high, his fists clenched. He was facing his three best friends. And suddenly, he knew that things would be okay.

He knew they would be okay, because _they _thought they would be okay. He could see it in their faces. For once, they weren't acting like he was the baby. For once, they were regarding him as the person that they always knew he was, but joked that he wasn't.

They knew, probably better than Tyler himself, that he was strong, more than he let on. They knew that when he ascended, he would be okay. And because of them, Tyler knew it too.

No one said a word in the entire ten minutes. Nothing needed to be said. They could all sense the time ticking by, as if it was tangible, as if they could see it. Tyler was acutely aware when he had exactly thirty seconds left.

30…29…28… His breathing became heavier, and his heartbeat was getting faster. He closed his eyes trying to control it, to control the nervousness. To the others, he looked completely calm. 20…19…18… The wind began to change. They could feel the current in the wind, the electricity of the storm. It was coming. 10…9…8… Tyler could feel the power crackling beneath his skin, imitating the current in the air. It was as if it was taking on a life of its own. He could feel the heat, he could smell the electricity. And then…

3…2…1…

He saw a blinding light before he was consumed by utter blackness. He knees gave out and he fell to the ground. Suddenly, the electricity under his skin came in contact with the electricity in the air. It felt like what he would imagine getting hit by lightening felt like.

And then it got worse.

The power attacked his body, his soul, attaching itself to him. If felt as if his skin was being pulled from his bones. It felt like thousands of tiny pins were buried deep in his skin, and he was scratching to get them out. It felt like he was being cut.

He could hear himself screaming, somewhere in the distance, far off, but he was too far gone to care. He had begun the fight, the fight for his life, against the disease that was the power.

The blackness was invading his mind, flooding it like a poison. He threw up every barrier he had; the power attacked. His skin felt as if it was on fire. He couldn't breathe without breathing in the flames. Now the fire was inside, killing him.

The power, the darkness, was talking to him. _Don't fight it. It's your destiny._

No, it wasn't his destiny. He knew that.

_I'm stronger than you…_

_No_Tyler fought it, but the harder he pushed, the more it pushed back. He wouldn't succumb.

_You know you want it…the __power,__ you want to taste what it's like…you want to feel it._

He was nearly there…

_You could be stronger than Caleb, if you wanted._

"NO!" He wouldn't be surprised if he had actually screamed it, but with the words came a final push that sent the power recoiling from his mind. Finally he could breathe. Finally, the flames receded.

The pain began to subside, as did the blackness that had engulfed him.

A few moments passed, and then he opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the ground. He was on his hands and knees in the dirt. Huh, maybe he should have stayed on the ground.

"Tyler?" It was Reid. He could hear the concern in his voice. Tyler groaned. He was sore. "You okay Baby Boy?"

He hissed in pain as he pulled himself up off the ground, closing his eyes. He immediately felt the hands of his friends on his body, helping to pull him up from the ground. "Take it easy man…not too fast." Caleb was concerned too.

"Yeah, Baby Boy, don't want to make yourself sick." Even Pogue, who had taken it upon himself to lighten the mood, had nothing funny to say.

Tyler was finally off the ground, but none of the boys took their hands off of their friends. It was a good thing. His empathy was in overdrive. Reid, Caleb, and Pogue may not have been calm, but they were calmer than Tyler was. He was picking up their vibe, and so, slowly, his heartbeat began to return to normal, his head stopped spinning, and the pain lessened ever so slightly.

Tyler finally opened his eyes again to find his best friends staring at him. They all looked amazed. He frowned. "What?"

It was Reid who spoke. "Your eyes."

Tyler began to freak again. "What's wrong with them?"

Caleb smiled. "They're blue."

He was confused for a moment, until the impact of the comment sank in. They were blue, not black as theirs had been when they ascended. Tyler had beaten it completely, where the other's had not. He smiled. He would be okay.

Pogue clapped him on the back. "Congratulations. You're no longer a baby."

"Yeah," Reid chipped in, "but we're still going to call you that." Tyler rolled his eyes, but secretly, he was happy that nothing was going to change, though he would probably be just as happy without the nickname. "Come on, Baby Boy…I think there's a party brewing at the Dells in your honor."

"Hey Reid?" he asked right before they got into the car.

"Yeah Baby Boy?"

"Fifty bucks says I get more numbers than you?"

"Betting on girls, that's a first. I thought you didn't want things to change."

Tyler shrugged. Sometimes change _was _good.

"Fine, but don't go crying to Caleb when I kick your ass. I always win, you know that."

"Well, that might be something else that has to change."

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so what do you think? I want to write a Tyler story...was it good enough?? 


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